January 19, 2026 – The Holy Theophany, the Baptism of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.
In the night of January 18 to 19, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy and the Rite of the Great Blessing of the Waters at the Ascension Cathedral in the city of Almaty.
Serving with the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: spiritual father of the Almaty Diocese Archimandrite Ioann (Sazonov) rector of the Almaty Theological Seminary, head of the information and publishing department of the Metropolis Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov head of the Metropolitan’s personal secretariat Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky) head of the administrative secretariat of the Head of the Metropolis Priest Georgy Sidorov Hieromonk Roman (Chistyakov) Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich head of the Metropolitan’s protocol service Protodeacon Roman Golovin Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky Hierodeacon Sofony (Mazurenko) Deacon Vitaly Bystrushkin Deacon Alexander Piven Deacon Ioann Zhuchkov Deacon Georgy Tkachenko
Liturgical hymns were performed by the choir of the Metropolis under the direction of the Honored Artist of Russia, member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Church Singing O.N. Ovchinnikov.
Praying during the Liturgy was the President of the Public Foundation “Eleos–Meirim” V.M. Kapsamun.
At the festive service in the main church of the southern capital were present sacred relics – a gift from His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem to the Orthodox faithful of Kazakhstan: a mother-of-pearl altar cross blessed in the Bethlehem Cave, and a vessel with water and stones from the site of the Savior’s Baptism in the Jordan River.
According to the liturgical Typikon, the Liturgy of the Feast of Theophany includes special antiphons composed of prophetic Psalms:
Psalm 113 “When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a barbarous people” with the refrain “Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us”;
Psalm 114 “I loved the Lord, for He heard the voice of my supplication” with the refrain “Save us, O Son of God, baptized in the Jordan, who sing to Thee: Alleluia”;
Psalm 117 “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever” with the refrain – the Troparion of the feast “When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan”.
Instead of the Trisagion, the baptismal hymn was sung: “As many as have been baptized into Christ…”, in remembrance of the ancient tradition of baptizing catechumens on this day.
The Epistle of the Apostle Paul to Titus was read (chapter 2, verses 11–14, and chapter 3, verses 4–7), speaking of the salvation of those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ by the grace of the Holy Spirit, and the Gospel passage about Christ’s Baptism by John the Forerunner in the Jordan River (Gospel of Matthew: chapter 3, verses 13–17).
The sermon after the communion verse was delivered by Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov.
In commemoration of the event of the Baptism of the Savior, the Rite of the Great Blessing of the Waters was performed at the end of the Liturgy.
At the conclusion of the Liturgy, Metropolitan Alexander sprinkled the church and the faithful with the Great Agiasma; the clergy and choir sang the Troparion, Kontakion, and Magnification of the feast, after which the Head of the Metropolis addressed those present with a sermon on the spiritual significance of the Baptism of the Lord in the divine plan of human salvation.
Security and order in the Ascension Cathedral and the surrounding area were provided by members of the Union of Cossacks of Semirechye, headed by Ataman V.S. Shikhotov – a member of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan.
Those who attended the service at the Ascension Cathedral received informational booklets entitled “The Baptism of the Lord,” published with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan by the Publishing Department of the Orthodox Metropolis of Kazakhstan with the charitable support of the “Eleos–Meirim” Foundation. The booklets, containing information about the Feast of Theophany and holy water, were distributed in the churches of the southern capital.
For the convenience of parishioners, the distribution of holy Theophany water was organized in several places both inside and outside the church.
The Liturgy was broadcast live by specialists of the “Eleos–Meirim” Foundation under the direction of T.A. Suvorov. The television studio of the Orthodox Metropolis of Kazakhstan “Semirechye” (director and chief director – Honored Worker of Culture V. Posadneva, chief cameraman – A. Schmidt) prepared a festive video report.
“The great Twelve Feast that we prayerfully celebrate today bears three names: Theophany, Baptism, and Enlightenment.
It is called Theophany because at the Baptism of the Lord the Holy Consubstantial Trinity was revealed to the world: God the Father proclaimed from heaven about His beloved Son, the Son was baptized by the holy Forerunner John, and the Holy Spirit descended upon the Son in the form of a dove.
It is called the Baptism because the Son of God immersed Himself in the waters of the Jordan and sanctified the entire element of water, renewing His creation.
From ancient times, this feast was called the Day of Enlightenment and the Festival of Lights, because God is Light and came to enlighten those “who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,” and to save the human race from sin, curse, and death.
The Holy Church in its services on this day reveals to us the meaning of Christ’s Baptism for our salvation. The Lord, being baptized in the waters of the Jordan, drowned human sin with His infinite righteousness, sanctified the waters, and gave them the power of sanctification for all time.
The waters, cleansed and sanctified by the Lord, became for us the font of holy baptism, the beginning of a new life in grace, through renewal by the Holy Spirit.
The Baptism of the Lord reminds us all of the Sacrament of our own Baptism.
The Righteous John of Kronstadt connects the Gospel event of Christ’s Baptism with the baptism of a Christian as follows:
‘We too were once immersed in the waters of baptism, and the heavens opened above us, and the Holy Spirit descended upon us, sent by the Heavenly Father… And at that moment of our baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity, it was as though the Heavenly Father declared about each of us: “This is My beloved Son, in Whom is My good pleasure.” Yes, through baptism we are children and sons of God, adopted by Him through His great mercy.’
May the Feast of Theophany renew in us the strength to remain faithful to the Savior, with Whom we are united, Whom we received into our hearts through the Sacrament of Baptism, and to Whom we must remain faithful until the end of our lives.” From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander
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